Hosiery toe fabric



Feb. 18, 1936. v DI slCKEROT-r 2,031,432

' HosIERY TOE FABRIC Filed Oct. 26, 1935 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

Patented Feb. 18, v1936 l UNITED STATE-:s

PAT-ENT oFFl'cE 2,031,432 nosmnr'roa Panaro Dietz Sickerott, Philadelphia, Pa. Almlicationctober 26, 1935, Serial No. 46,889 4 claims. (o1. ss--is'n 'Ihe present invention generally relates hosiery and, more particularly, to a knitted toefabric l therefor, and has for one ofv its main ob- Ajects the provision of a toe fabric constructed to afford ventilation without weakening the knitted structure of the fabric.

Another important object of the invention con templates the provision of a stocking toe fabric of the full fashioned type wherein are incorporated toe gores having an improved construction to include a restricted number of rows of openings so disposed that the stretchability of the usual4 toe fabric is not affected.

The invention further aims to provide a full fashioned toe fabric manufactured in a character Y istie manner so that during the knitting operation, a single Wale of dropped stitches constituting Ventilating openings will be formed immediately adjacent the toe gore narrowing marks which create ridges in the fabric, said ridges efifectively acting as a reenforcement for the ldropped stitches forming said openings.

- of the fabric-structure and, accordingly, preventing the gores and related portions fof the toe fabric from becoming flabby and shapeless.

y It is also among the distinguishing features of the invention to provide a toe fabric knitted on the commonly known full fashioned footer knitting machine which. in its usual narrowing operation, produces toe `goreslin the narrowed foot portion of the fabric, said toe gores being defined by pairs of transferred, overlapping loops forming a ridge-like narrowing line, the machine further' operating in accordance'with the present invention to produce a single Wale' of dropped vstitches adapted to provide a row of Ventilating openings and disposed immediately adjacent each ridgelike narrowing line and in paralleling relation thereto, said wale of dropped stitches andthe associated ridge-like narrowing line cooperating in such a manner that the latter will reinforce the wale of dropped stitches and protect them against excessive strains.

The invention is also distinguished by the fact that the formation of my improved toe fabric with its Ventilating feature does not necessitate additional parts or attachments on the knitting machine, nor demand material changes in the usual 5 construction thereof. -Y

Otherl important objects and advantages of the invention will be in part obvious and in partL pointed out hereinafter.

In order that the invention and its mode of op'- 10 eration may be readily understood by those skilled inthe art, I have, in the accompanying drawing, and in the detailed description based thereupon, set out a possible embodiment of the invention.

In this drawingz- 4 Figure 1 is an elevational view of a stocking foot, diagrammatically illustrating the construction of my improved toe fabric.

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of a portion of a full lfashioned toe fabric blank embodying the invention.

. Figure 3 is a diagrammatic view showing on a greatly enlarged scale the portion' of the stocking blank within the dotted area B in Figure 2, and illustrating the formation of portions of the narrowing courses in the toe fabric made in accordance with the present invention.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, wherein like characters of reference will designate .corresponding parts throughout, I have shown the foot portion I of a full fashioned stocking having the toe fabric 2 which is knitted in the. usual and commonly known way to provide the toe gores 3i These toe gores 3 have their opposite sides de- 35 fined by two ridges l each ridge extending walewise of the fabric and formed by a row of pairs of transferredl overlapping loops 5 (Figure 3) made by the functioning of the narrowing mechmism ofv won known run rasmoned footer knit- 0 ting machines.

According to the present invention, a row of openings 6 is arranged'within the toe gores 3 ad- `iacent .each ridge 4 and disposed in paralleling relation thereto. The row of openings 6 may be made in any suitable wa'y. for instance, by leavinglout a needle as indicated at 'I in Figure 3, to form a dropped stitch l in each narrowing course i thus .providing a single wale of ldropped stitches immediately adjacent the overlapping loop'sl constituting thev gore defining ridges 4.

By proceeding in-this manner, each gore 3 is provided with a panel I0 consisting entirely of close knit loops and bordered on its opposite sides by the single row of openings 6 reenforced by the ridge 4. This particular structure of the toe gore assures the retention of the shape of the stocking toe fabric.

It will be appreciated that the provision of rows of openings 6 in the stocking toe fabric affords adequate ventilation. As 'is well known in the art, relatively heavy yarn is utilized in knitting the toe fabric for the purpose of imparting a reinforced st-ructure thereto. The use of heavy reinforcing yarn in the knitting of the toe fabric produces closely knitted loops, which stop the proper circulation of air, and the present invention overcomes this inconvenience by introducing Ventilating openings in the fabric structure at diametrically opposite points to provide cross-ventilation.

Attention is particularly called to thefact that by associating and co-relating, in the manner heretofore stated, the rows of Ventilating openings 6 with the toe gore ridges 4, consisting of Wale-wise rows of overlapping loops 5, the latter constitute a reenforcement for the Wale of dropped stitches 8.

It will be obvious that the formation of dropped stitches in the knitted fabric Would ordinarily occasion a Wale-wise weakening of the fabric. This objectionable consequence is overcome in the present invention due to the Wale-wise arrangement of pairs of overlapping loops forming ridges 4 and disposed next to the Wale of dropped stitches 8. The row of openings being disposed immediately adjacent and in paralleling relation to the ridges 4, it will be understood that these ridges act to prevent the Wale of dropped stitches 8 from undue stretching and, accordingly, obviate the possibility of said dropped stitches breaking under ordinary wearing strains.

Moreover, because of the respective positioning of the ridges 4 and rows of openings 6, no ex-V cessive change occurs in the normal stretchability of the toe gores, but the panels I in.

the gores 3 and associated portions of the toe fabric retain their close knit structure, necessary for the proper shaping of the toe section of the stocking.

It is pointed out that the manufacture of my improved toe fabric requires no special means nor material changes in the usual footer knitting machine, but merely necessitates a simple adjustment, such as that which would result in producing dropped stitches in the wale adjacent the ridges formed by the toe gore narrowing marks.

I wish it to be understood that the rows of Ventilating openings 6 and incidental features of the invention may be formed in a manner other than that herein described. Therefore, I consider Within the spirit of the invention those modifications which may come within the scope of the subjoined claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a stocking toe fabric of the character described, a toe gore including a panel consisting entirely of closely knitted loops, a ridge consisting of overlapping loopsand bordering each side of said panel walewise of the fabric, and a Wale of dropped stitches forming a single row of openings disposed adjacent and in paralleling relation to each ridge.

2. In a stocking toe fabric of the character described, a toe gore including a panel consisting entirely of closely knitted loops andlhaving a pair of narrowing lines each consisting of overlapping lo'ops forming a ridge on the opposite sides of said panel and arranged Walewise of the fabric, and dropped stitches forming a row of openings associated with each ridge and paralleling the same, said row of openings being confined to that Wale immediately adjacent its associated ridge.

3. In a stocking toe fabric of the character described, a toe gore including a panel consisting entirely of closely knitted loops and having a pair of narrowing lines each consisting of pairs of overlapping loops forming a ridge on the opposite sides of said panel and arranged walewise of the fabric, and dropped stitches forming a row of openings associated with each ridge and paralleling the same, said row of openings being confined to that Wale immediately adjacent its associated n'dge.

4. In a stocking toe fabric of the character described, a toe gore including a panel consisting entirely of closely knitted loops and having a pair of narrowing lines each consisting of pairs of overlapping loops forming a ridge on the opposite sides of said panel and arranged Walewise of the fabric, and dropped stitches forming a row of openings associated with each ridge and paralleling the same, said row of openings being disposed Within the toe gore and confined to that Wale immediately adjacent each associated ridge.

DIETZ SICKEROTT. 

